Wild Aegis (Druid/Fighter)

Wielding martial weapons and wearing armor of ironwood leaf scale mail or carved ironwood full plate, the wild aegis is a druidic circle’s frontline defenders. The wild aegis possesses a unique bond with the natural terrain under his protection. Similar to a paladin, this connection grants a wild aegis the ability to enhance his armor through the use of nature spirits. However, a truly unique ability they possess is their mystically empowered body tattoos. These wild marks enable the wild aegis to create difficult terrain, or bestow conditions upon his opponents that are based upon his favored terrain. While unorthodox when compared to true druids, the wild aegis is powerful in both offensive and defensive situations within his chosen terrain. (Original Concept by Elghinn Lightbringer)

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The wild aegis selects three fighter skills to add to his class skills in addition to the normal druid class skills. The wild aegis gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The wild aegis is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with wild shape. The wild aegis is proficient with all types of armor (heavy, light, and medium), but he is prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, he may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. A wild aegis may also wear wooden armor (even wooden full plate) that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. See the ironwood spell description. A wild aegis is proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.

Spellcasting: The wild aegis casts divine spells drawn from the druid’s spell list, and adds the domain spells from the following terrain domain or subdomain as determined by his favored terrain: cold (Arctic, Ice), desert (Desert), forest (Forest, Plant), jungle (Jungle, Plant), mountains (Earth, Mountain), plains (Plains, Wind), swamp (Swamp), underground (Cave), water (Aquatic, Water). Like other spellcasters, a wild aegis can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Wild aegis, and otherwise learns, prepares, and casts spells as a druid equal to his wild aegis level. A wild aegis receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom score.

Favored Terrain: At 1st level, a wild aegis may select a single type of terrain from Table: Ranger Favored Terrains (except planes and urban) to the exclusion of all others. The wild aegis gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain. Every four levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +2, to a maximum of +8 at 16th level. A wild aegis’s favored terrain also determines his wild mark, terrain affinity, and grand mark abilities.

Nature Bond (Ex or Su): At 1st level, a wild aegis forms a bond with nature. This bond can take one of two forms. The first option is to form a bond with his armor. This bond functions exactly like the divine bond of the divine defender archetype (see p. 116 of the Advanced Player’s Guide), except that the wild aegis calls upon the aid of a nature spirit, and the armor sheds no light. Also, the wild aegis may add any of the following armor properties: comfort‡, determination*, energy resistance, greater energy resistance, greater shadow, improved energy resistance, improved shadow, shadow, spell resistance (13, 15, 17, or 19), wild. (*Advanced Player’s Guide, ‡Pathfinder Society Field Guide).

The second option is to form a close bond with an animal companion. This is exactly like the druid’s animal companion ability (see pg. 50 of the Core Rulebook). This ability otherwise functions as and replaces nature bond.

Bonus Feat: At 2nd level the wild aegis gains the fighter’s bonus feat ability, and may select one bonus feat at 2nd level and every six levels thereafter. The wild aegis counts his level as his fighter level when qualifying for feats with level requirements. This ability replaces wild shape 2/day, 4/day, 6/day, and 8/day.

Wild Mark (Su): At 4th level, a wild aegis learns a number of magic tricks, called wild marks. A wild mark is inscribed into the wild aegis’s skin and infused with the energy of his favored terrain, granting him the power to hinder, captivate, or even harm his opponents. A wild aegis gains one wild mark of his choice and an additional wild mark every four levels beyond 4th, up to 16th level. A wild aegis cannot select an individual wild mark more than once, and once selected, it cannot be changed.

Unless otherwise noted, using a wild mark is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The save to resist a wild mark is equal to 10 + 1/2 the wild aegis’s level + the wild aegis’s Wisdom modifier. A wild aegis can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + the wild aegis’s Wisdom modifier. A wild aegis may select any wild mark listed under his favored terrain (see above).

Weapon Training (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a wild aegis gains the fighter’s weapon training ability, and can select one group of weapons, as noted in the fighter’s Weapon Training class feature of the Core Rulebook. Whenever he attacks with a weapon from this group, he gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls. Every six levels thereafter (11th, and 17th), a wild aegis becomes further trained in another group of weapons.

Grand Mark (Su): At 20th level, a wild aegis gains a grand mark that grants him certain abilities as determined by his chosen terrain (see above). He also adds 1/2 his wild aegis level to any damage rolls made against opponents in his favored terrain. This ability replaces wild shape at will.